


Practice Makes Perfect

by moonlittides



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Best Friends, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Jon and Sansa Are Not Related, Kissing, Minor Jon Snow/Val, Practice Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 19:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16687774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlittides/pseuds/moonlittides
Summary: When Jon lands himself a first date, Sansa offers him some dating advice in the form of a kissing lesson, but sometimes kisses between friends can awaken deeper feelings...





	Practice Makes Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Lately I've been super into teen movies from the 80s and after watching 'Some Kind of Wonderful' I was inspired to write this. Parts of the dialogue are taken straight from the movie, but for the most part I've put my own spin on it and thrown a lot more angst into the mix (sorry, I just had to), but as the tags say there is a happy ending. 
> 
> For those concerned about Val's part in the story, the Jon/Val relationship is totally in the background and essentially just a plot device to make Jon and Sansa realise their feelings for each other. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I’m so excited. I’ve been waiting for this for so long, it’s going to be amazing. I’m taking her to that posh restaurant in town and I’m getting her flowers. What do you think? Roses or lillies?"

Sansa shrugs. "Whatever she likes best."

"I think roses. I’m going to sweep her off her feet and make her so glad she said yes to the date.”

Jon has been gushing about his date with his long-term crush, Val, for the last half an hour whilst Sansa has listened and attempted to ignore the bile rising in her throat and churning in her stomach.

“At least you’re not lacking in confidence,” Sansa snipes, sarcastically.

Jon glares at her. “I read in a magazine somewhere that confidence is one of the most attractive qualities a guy can have.”

“Yeah, confidence _not_ arrogance.”

“Ouch.”

“So what are you going to do if at the end date she wants to kiss you, Casanova?”

“What do you mean? If she wants to kiss me, then I’ll kiss her. Duh,” he replies sarcastically. "I've only been wanting to kiss her for three years."

“Have you even kissed a girl before?”

“Well... no, but it’s hardly rocket science.”

She scoffs.

“What’s that mean?” Jon asks.

“Nothing.”

“No, what?” Jon asks again, more insistent.

“It's just... girls are complicated and kissing is a big deal. If that first kiss is bad...”

“Since when are you a kissing expert?”

“I’m not, but I watch TV. Val has dated a lot, hasn't she?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So, she’s probably kissed a lot of guys. It’s going to take more than some amateur first-timer kiss to steal her heart.” Sansa knows she’s purposefully trying to wreck Jon’s confidence in a bid to sabotage his date and as his best friend she also knows she should be supportive, but her jealousy is getting the better of her.

“Huh,” Jon says contemplatively, his over-confidence having shrunk and been replaced with self-doubt and insecurity.

“But what do I know? Apparently you know what girls want better than me, so carry on.”

"I think I've got it covered," he says, defensively, before turning back to his desk and resuming his homework. For a few minutes the pair work in silence, but what Sansa has said has struck a chord with him and made him doubt himself.

He swings around in his seat to face her and asks, “So what do I do?”

“Do about what?”

“You know... the kiss.”

“I thought you got it covered.”

“Seriously, Sans,” he scowls. “Will you just help me?”

“Help you?”

“Yeah.”

She sighs. “Okay, okay.” She gets up from the bed and goes over to him and takes his arms. “Come on, get up.”

Jon stands from his seat and the pair stand facing each other. “Now what?” Jon asks.

“Now pretend I’m her. Pretend I’m Val.”

Jon laughs, uncomfortably. “ _What_?”

“Do you want me to help you or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, sorry. I do. I want you to help me.”

“Okay, so I’m Val and it's the end of the date, we're saying goodnight. Now what do you do with your hands?”

“I dunno,” Jon shrugs. “It depends.”

“It doesn’t depend, they go on her hips.”

“Okay, so they go on her hips.”

“Do it.”

“Do what?”

“Put your hands on my hips,” Sansa says, confidently, disguising her nerves excellently.

Jon frowns at her. “Are you joking?”

“Jon, this is just as weird and awkward for me as it is for you, but you asked me to help you and that’s what I’m doing.”

He sighs. “Alright.” Jon steps closer to her and tentatively places his hands on her hips.

Sansa’s heart somersaults in her chest. “Look in my eyes,” she instructs.

Jon obliges and meets her eyes, but quickly breaks into laughter. Sansa backs away. “I don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just... it’s _you_.”

“Charming.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, well, maybe try sucking it up.”

Jon nods, takes a deep breath and wipes the smile from his face before returning his gaze back to Sansa’s. She’s looked into his eyes so many times, but never like this, not so close and in such an intimate way. It both terrifies and excites her.

Sansa slowly wraps her hands around his neck. “Close your eyes.”

He hesitates again, but does as she asks and closes his eyes. With his eyes closed, Sansa steels herself and inhales deeply, preparing herself for what is about to happen. She’s dreamed of kissing Jon so many times, but she never pictured it happening like this. She considers stopping, but she cannot ignore what her heart desires. Sansa leans in slowly and presses her lips to Jon’s lightly. It’s tentative at first, but Jon responds immediately and returns her kiss, pushing his mouth against hers more firmly. His hands grasp at her hips and their bodies come together more closely. Sansa loses herself in him, letting her eyes drop shut and it grows much more heated than she intended, as their mouths begin to open and she feels the warmth of his breath against her mouth. Realising what’s happening and returning to earth, Sansa pulls away and pushes Jon away from her firmly.

Confused and dazed, Jon exclaims, “What?”

“Okay, it’s fine. You’re fine. Lesson’s over. You’re cool.” Sansa’s face is on fire, she’s breathless and her head is spinning. All she wants to do is run. Run far away from here and from Jon.

A smile creeps over Jon’s face. “You’re blushing.”

Sansa self-consciously runs the back of her hand over her inflamed cheek. “Yeah right!” she scoffs. She goes over to the bed and clumsily grabs her homework and books and stuffs them into her backpack.

“What are you doing? Are you leaving?” Jon asks.

“Yeah, I--I--I gotta do--you know--a thing,” she stammers, darting out of Jon’s bedroom and down the stairs.

He follows her out and calls down the stairs, “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Sansa continues her sprint out of the door, desperate to get away and compose herself. Why did she do that? What was she thinking?

* * *

 

Sansa is so embarrassed and overwhelmed by her encounter with Jon that she spends the next couple of days avoiding him at all costs. Perhaps deep down inside she always knew her feelings for Jon extended beyond friendship, but it feels like it has suddenly sneaked up on her and left her disorientated. Jon has been desperately calling and texting her, concerned and begging her to let him know she’s okay. It only adds to the negative ball of emotions in her stomach making her feel guilty and ashamed in addition to everything else.

On the second day of avoiding him, Jon waits for her outside chemistry class and corners her. He jumps out from behind some lockers and Sansa squeals in surprise. When she realises it’s Jon, her heart starts thumping in her chest and it becomes difficult to breathe.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he asks.

“I’m not,” Sansa lies. “I’ve just been busy.”

“Busy?” Jon asks, his eyebrows raised sceptically. “We’ve walked to school together everyday since year 7, there’s not a day that goes by where we don’t talk and then suddenly you fall off the radar without explanation. You haven’t been busy, Sansa, you’re avoiding me. Did I do something wrong the other day?”

The mere mention of the other day makes Sansa want to burrow into the ground and hide forever. “No, no, no, of course not. I just-- I have to go.” Sansa runs away, from Jon and her feelings for him for a second time, too afraid to face up to it.

Later that evening Jon shows up on Sansa’s doorstep. The moment the doorbell rings she knows it’s Jon and calls down to her mum to beg her to say she’s unwell and can’t see anybody. Sansa knows she’s being over-dramatic and cowardly, but any reason she may have had has gone out of the window. She’s being ruled by her fear. All she can think about is what if Jon confronts her and forces her to reveal why she’s been behaving so strange this last week? What if he hates her for feeling the way she does and never speaks to her again? She couldn’t bear to lose him, he’s her best friend.

Hearing Jon’s solemn voice from downstairs telling her mum that he hopes she feels better soon and that he’ll call her tomorrow, only causes her heart to grow heavier. Part of her wants to dart downstairs, throw herself into his arms, apologise for her behaviour and make everything better. Just as the front door closes, Sansa’s phone begins to vibrate. Unsurprisingly, it’s Jon. She lets it ring through to voicemail and then listens to it. Her stomach begins to somersault as she presses three and hears Jon’s breath down the phone.

“Hi Sans, it’s me. I’m standing outside your house right now. Your mum said you’re ill and so it’s best you don’t see anyone. Look, I... I don’t know what’s going on or if I did something to upset you or piss you off, but if I did I...I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry.” His voice is quiet and cracked as he speaks. He sounds so broken and upset that Sansa cannot stop the tears that trickle down her cheeks. “I’ll wait for you in our usual spot tomorrow before school. Hopefully you’ll be there if you’re well enough and we can go back to normal.”

The voicemail ends abruptly as though if he spoke any longer he would burst into tears. It serves as a reminder of how selfish Sansa is being. She’s avoiding him because she’s terrified of losing him but in the meantime, he’s distraught and in the dark, thinking he’s done something wrong. Sansa brings up his number on her phone and hovers over it, determined to call him back and soothe his troubled mind, but finds that she’s paralysed. Eventually she discards her phone onto her bed and falls forward, her face buried into her pillow as she weeps.

* * *

 

The next day, despite still not being ready to face Jon, Sansa gets ready and goes to meet Jon in their usual spot before school. She’s so nervous that she feels she’s going to projectile vomit all over the place, but knows that if she continues to shut Jon out things will only get worse. When she turns into the street and sees Jon, his eyes light up and a wide smile comes across his face. He walks up to meet her and the second she’s within arms reach, he has pulled her into his embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he says, holding her close.

Sansa feels herself melt into his touch. It makes her physically ache to have him hold her in this way. She pulls away from him, finding it too painful to remain in his arms knowing she can never have what she wants from him.

“Are you feeling better?”

Sansa nods and manages to find her voice. “Yeah, much better. Thanks.”

He frowns. “Were you really ill?”

“What? Yeah, of course I was really ill. It must’ve been one of those 24 hour bugs.”

“24 hours? I saw you yesterday at school, so it was more like a 12 hour bug.”

“What’s with the third degree? I wasn’t feeling very well, that’s it.” Her voice is sharper than she intended it to be, but it achieves what she wanted and gets Jon to stop asking questions.

“So...are we okay?” Jon asks.

“Yeah. Yeah we’re okay,” she smiles.

“Did you get my voice mail last night?”

“I didn’t listen to it until this morning,” she lies. “Thanks for coming to check on me.”

“I was scared I’d done something wrong.”

“I already told you, you didn’t.”

“I know, but you’ve never done that before. Ignored me like that.”

“I didn’t ignore you. I was busy.”

“If you say so.”

“And I didn’t feel very well.”

“You already said that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m saying it again.”

“I’m just glad you’re better now because I’ve got the date tomorrow and there’s no way I can get through it without you.”

Sansa’s heart sinks. She’s tried to block the impending date from her mind, but all at once the emotions she’s desperately been trying to suppress wash over her like a tidal wave.

“Sans, are you alright? You’re as white as a ghost.”

“I--I--” she stammers, a lump stuck in her throat. “I think maybe I’m not 100% over that bug like I thought I was.”

“Maybe you should go home and get some rest,” Jon says, concerned. “I’ll walk you.” 

The entire walk is dominated by talk of the date and Sansa is all too relieved when she arrives back home. The second the door has closed behind Jon she sinks down to the floor, brings her knees up to her chin and sobs. She wishes for these feelings to disappear and hopes that her friendship with Jon will not suffer any permanent damage because of it. She doesn't know what to do to make it all go away. How can she make it go away?

* * *

 

Friday arrives and with it the day of Jon’s date. Sansa spends the entire day forlorn and quiet. She summons enough strength to plaster a smile on her face for Jon’s benefit and provides him with words of encouragement and support. As painful as it is to do it, she realises the two days she spent avoiding him were more painful.

“Are you sure about this suit?” Jon asks, looking at himself in the mirror and brushing his hands over the tux he has hired especially for his date.

“I’m sure. You look great.” Great is an understatement. He’s devilishly handsome, a sight to behold. Just looking at him causes Sansa’s heart to flutter in her chest.

Jon inhales deeply and looks at his watch. “I need to leave in 5 minutes if I want to be there on time.” He swings around to face Sansa and asks, “Any last tips?”

“Just be yourself and she won’t be able to anything but love you.” _Like I do_ , she thinks.

“Thanks, Sans.” He kisses her on the cheek and it takes all her strength to hold back her tears.

Swallowing the lump in her throat Sansa says, “You better get going or you’ll be late.”

Jon smiles and the two head downstairs. “I’ll text you as soon as it’s over. Keep your phone close by in case it’s a total disaster.”

“It won’t be a disaster,” she reassures him.

“Let’s hope not. I've been waiting for this for--”

"Three years," Sansa finishes. "Yeah, I know. You'll be fine."

Jon smiles at her and then climbs into his car and backs off the drive. Sansa watches him disappear down the street, her heart sinking with the overbearing knowledge that he is about to go on a date with another girl. She knows she has no right to think the way she does, Jon is just her friend, but she cannot help the thought that enters her mind - _“That should be me.”_

* * *

 

Despite having wanted to go on a date with Val for three years and agonising over every detail of the date in the weeks leading up to it, Jon finds that he’s surprisingly calm when he arrives at Val's house to pick her up. He assumes it’s because of Sansa’s advice and support, which has been extremely helpful. Especially the kissing... Oh, the kissing...

He's tried not to think about it. God knows, he's tried, but his mind keeps drifting to it at the most unexpected times. The memory of it fills him up - the way she smelled, how her body felt against his and her lips... Oh, her soft lips... Jon gets so lost in it that he tunes out of Val’s chatter and politely smiles and nods along, pretending that he heard what she’s been saying. He forces himself to look across to the passenger seat at Val and appreciate her beauty. She truly is beautiful. Her long blonde hair is thick and luscious, and hangs about her shoulders in loose curls. She’s wearing an elegant white lace dress with a pair of heels to match and she has clearly gone to an effort for the date, just as he has. Her eyes are striking, grey with hints of blue and utterly seductive. He has got lost in them many times, yet this time as he stares into them he's aware of how devoid of emotion he feels. 

They arrive at the restaurant and Val remains animated and chatty whilst Jon sits quietly. He’s perplexed as to why he’s feeling so hollow and unenthusiastic about being on a date with the girl of his dreams. He expected to feel on top of the world, but everything feels incredibly off, though he doesn't understand why. 

“I have to say, I never thought we’d get here.”

“Huh?” Jon asks, distracted.

“Us, here. On a date. I never expected it to happen.”

Jon chuckles lightly. “The world’s unpredictable, huh?”

“I guess it is. I’m so glad you asked me.”

Jon forces a smile. “Me too.” It’s a lie, but it shouldn’t be. He should be glad to be on a date with her, he has been all week, but now... All he can seem to think about is what Sansa’s doing and what they’d be doing if they were hanging out together now.

The rest of the date passes by in a blur and Jon cuts it short by lying about having a headache. Just an hour after their date began, Jon is parked outside Val’s bidding her good night.

“I had a great night.”

“Me too.” Another lie.

“Thank you.” Val smiles sweetly at him.

Without warning, Jon practically leaps across the car and plants a kiss on her lips. It’s completely against everything Sansa taught him to do in their practice session, but he desperately wants to feel what he knows he should be feeling. Surprisingly, Val doesn’t push him away and kisses him back enthusiastically. He waits for the pounding of his heart, the dizziness, the butterflies in his stomach and the sweaty palms that he had when Sansa kissed him, but it doesn’t come.

When he leans away from her, Val has a huge grin plastered on her face, but this time Jon can’t even force a smile, he just wants her to get out of the car.

“Speak to you soon?” Val says.

“Yeah. I’ll call you.”

With that she climbs out of the car, seemingly unaware of Jon’s coldness. He drives off, faster than he should, the tyres screeching from the speed against the damp tarmac. Despite promising to text Sansa when the date ended, he takes to driving around town endlessly, his head noisy and confused. He’s so distracted that he drives over a junction and the honking of a car horn brings him to. He pulls over at the side of the road, panting heavily and it strikes him like a bolt of lightning.

_Sansa_.

It’s all because of Sansa. He shakes his head, wondering if he’s deluding himself and creating emotions that aren’t really there. After all, Sansa is his best friend and has been since they were kids. Surely he doesn’t have... He can’t... And yet he _does_. Ever since she kissed him he hasn’t been able to get her out of his head and those two days they didn’t speak were unbearable. He justified it because she’s his best friend and he cares about her, but now he can see so clearly that it’s more than that. _So_ much more. All through his date he was looking at Val but not really seeing her. His mind and his heart was elsewhere - with Sansa. He wonders how he could have been so blind. All this time he’s been obsessed about Val when the person he truly wants to be with his been right under his nose.

It's a wake up call like no other he’s ever had in his life. Suddenly everything makes sense and all he wants to do is find Sansa and tell her. _He has to tell her._ He reaches for his phone out of his trousers and dials Sansa’s number. There’s no answer so he hits redial, and pulls off driving for the park and desperately hoping that Sansa will be there. He wonders if she will feel the same or if she will be utterly repulsed by him having feelings for her, but he doesn’t care. Now that he’s admitted the truth to himself he’s euphoric and he needs to tell Sansa. Even if she doesn’t feel the same way, there’s a small chance she might and he has to take it. He has to.

* * *

 

Sansa’s phone is alight with an incoming call from Jon. She didn’t expect to hear from him so soon - he only left for his date an hour ago. It’s the third attempt he’s made to call her and although she knows a good friend would answer to hear all about his date, she can’t bring herself to so lets it ring out.

She’s sat on the bench at the local park. It’s a cool summer’s night and although she’d usually be at home at this time, she couldn’t bring herself to spend another night cooped up in her room crying over Jon. Not that being here helps, if anything it only makes her think of Jon more. This is _their_ place, where they hang out together and always have.

Sansa wonders how the date went and considers calling Jon back to find out, but can’t bear to hear all of the details. What if he kissed her? The thought makes Sansa’s entire body ache. She worries how things might change if Jon asks Val to be his girlfriend. Maybe she and Jon won’t come here as much anymore, maybe they won’t come here at all. Sansa has seen enough television to know that girls don’t like their boyfriend being friends with girls, especially girls that have feelings for their boyfriend.

Though she thought she’d cried herself dry, a few unruly tears stream down her cheeks. She gets up to head back home, hoping the walk will clear her mind before bed. When she’s a couple of streets from home, her attention is caught by a car stopping next to her. She’s panicked for a moment until she realises it’s Jon. He jumps out of the car and meets her on the pavement, looking at her silently. Her surprise at Jon’s arrival means she forgot to hide the evidence of her crying and although she wipes her tears away, Jon has clearly already seen her red and wet face. He’s still wearing the suit he wore for his date and, God, she’d forgot how gorgeous he is.

He tilts his head to the side, a soft expression on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Perhaps she’s tired of lying and hiding the truth from him, but this time she doesn’t even try to pretend. Somehow he has finally pieced it together and realised she has feelings for him and she doesn't have the energy to deny it. She shrugs and lowers her head, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. “What would it have changed?”

He steps closer to her, puts his hand on her chin and tilts her head up so that she meets his gaze. “Do you know why I’m not on the date?”

She shakes her head.

“It’s because as I was sitting there with Val I realised I didn’t want to be with her, I wanted to be with my best friend.”

Sansa’s heart leaps in her chest.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I was stupid and blind and stupid. And did I mention stupid?”

“What about Val? You’ve been crazy about her for years and now you can have her.”

“But I don’t want her. I want you.”

Sansa needs to pinch herself to make sure this is really happening.

“Do you really mean it, Jon? Because us being friends complicates--”

Jon slides his hands onto her hips and silences her with a kiss. It’s like an explosion of fireworks are erupting between them. This time, Sansa doesn’t hold back and melts into his embrace, returning his kiss fervidly and opening her mouth to allow his tongue access. It’s a kiss so passionate and so perfect that it makes Sansa weak in the knees and if it wasn’t for Jon’s body standing strong against hers she’s sure she would collapse onto the floor in a quivering heap.

“Does that answer your question?” he says, leaning away from the kiss.

Breathless and giddy, Sansa beams at him. “That kissing lesson I gave you really worked.”

“Hm, I’m not sure. I think maybe I need more practice.”

Sansa leans into him and winds her hands around his neck. “Well, practice does make perfect.”

The two laugh and kiss again.


End file.
